


take my lungs; I owe you

by retromutagen



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Betrayal, Josh is a witch, Light Angst, M/M, RPF, Scandinavian Folklore - Freeform, Tyler is something else, and he has a secret, i dont know what to tag this as really, just read it please, they are both kind of lonely
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-05
Updated: 2017-01-05
Packaged: 2018-09-15 03:17:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9216266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/retromutagen/pseuds/retromutagen
Summary: “It’s a malicious water spirit that lures reckless children - older people, too, most likely - into the water and, huh,” she took a deep, shuddering breath, “drowns them. It was the perfect explanation really, so the bay was abandoned and people kept away from it. Still do. You wouldn’t believe the stories still going around.”Josh is a failing witch, who doesn't have any friends. Then, he meets Tyler.





	

**Author's Note:**

> this, yet again, has nothing to do with the real people, i literally just read too much finnish folklore and wanted to write something, so thanks to josh and tyler for lending their faces to me (they are very pretty faces indeed)
> 
> i tried to edit this into coherency but if any inconsistency comes up, please let me know, and like, listen, i am not a native english speaker so if a sentence structure or anything strikes weird to you, it's probably because of that
> 
> title from copeland - i can make you feel young again

When Josh was a kid, he always feared moving. Everyone described it as something that changed your life for the worse – especially if you were a young. _You lose all your friends and have a hard time building your life after_ , they said.

Josh had lived in the same town for nineteen years, until now. His mother had accepted the place for Head Witch a few towns over from where he grew up, where his mother had grown up, and where all his relatives lived. 

Not friends, though. That was where Josh considered himself to be ironically lucky. He didn’t exactly have friends and never really had had any, so he had nothing to lose.

Being the son of a highly regarded witch made life very privileged but, in a sense, very difficult. Everyone has trust issues towards you when you are practically guaranteed to learn all the ways to manipulate and control your environment. Once you did, people respected you for your talents, sought help from you if they needed it and took your expertise in to account when it was appropriate. Outside of such interaction, no one wanted to get to know you, too scared of being tricked into something they didn’t want. His mother, being one of the only talented and respected witches in the country, was practically famous, which then reflected a mix of emotions and reactions on Josh himself. 

Witchcraft was hereditary. It ran in your blood, so to speak, which then meant that Josh was a witch-to-be. He was to learn the same things his mother knew, and eventually rise to her level and even surpass it. Societal expectations were through the roof regarding him. Theoretically, it should have been natural for him to develop his skills and achieve the status of a witch, but it still took years and years of learning and practicing to be the very best version of himself.

Something got lost in translation in that part, though. People seemed to expect Josh – and every other witch-to-be – to already be at the same level as his mother, even though it was practically impossible at his age. This is where the ”no friends” part came into play. The trust issues regarding his mother also regarded him, so the obvious conclusion was for parents all around his hometown to protect their children from him. 

”Don’t play with that Dun boy, son,” they would say to their kids, ”he is not to be trusted! He could lure you into anything.”

So, in essence, Josh didn’t have friends in his old hometown. Few brave boys and girls made his acquaintance once he reached the age of fifteen, the age when teens want to rebel and go against their parents rules. Those relationships, as one can guess, were very superficial in the end, and Josh ended up not even knowing most of their second names before they ditched him for something ”cooler”, like drinking or smoking; in reality, Josh was just another object for them to use to prove to their cliques they were older and more mature and able to ”handle a witch”.

Josh, then, spent most of his time by himself. His only companion was his black cat named Void. Every witch-to-be was to receive a kitten at the age of ten. That cat would then grow up and provide support for the witch-to-be through the most difficult part of their life. If the witch got lucky the cat would choose to stay with them throughout their life. Josh hoped Void would agree to it. The cat seemed content on him for now, he probably knew Josh better than his mother, since he had been tagging along for nine years already. His mother’s cat had left her soon after she had acquired her first official job as Head Witch, deciding she would manage without her.

The witchcraft marking his genes came very handy for Josh, because he liked animals. Being a witch meant he knew how to communicate with them. This talent, just like any other talent, would develop through years, and right now Josh was at a point, where he couldn’t exactly talk with animals, but he could pick up on their emotions and impulses and try to reciprocate his own as best as he could. If he got really lucky, he could hold an actual conversation with his cat. But for now, he and Void seemed to have an understanding. At times, though, the cat got cross with Josh and he couldn’t figure out why. He also tended to know what was going on with his surroundings, before Josh did.

Another thing that graced a witch-to-be without really trying hardly at all, was a connection to nature itself. Nature breathed impulses and sentiment Josh understood and he could predict some vague future occurences through nature’s own language. Rains, for example, he could tell when it was about to rain. And, if he listened really closely to the feelings floating in the air and focused hard enough, he should have been able to hear human intentions from afar. 

Other things a witch-to-be had to learn through extensive research and studying. Things, in this very sense, meant magic itself and using it to manipulate, control, shape, reshape, communicate, solve, the list goes on and on and on. Biological information had to be obtained, as well as general information about the world itself; how society worked, what could be possible and what wasn’t in under any circumstances. Chemistry between something as abstract as magic and concrete world was a delicate balance, and one couldn’t just dive feet first into it. 

It sounded like a lot of work, Josh understood that, but the fact that he was born to be a witch made learning all that there is, very much a natural task ready to be achieved. Magic was his life. 

Or at least it should have been. 

See, many witch-to-bes started to have magic manifest within themselves at the same age they acquired their cat companion. Realistically, this development meant small acts of involuntary – and eventually voluntary – pure magic. Whether it be helping a flower grow without sunlight or making a tree sing a song. The magic would gain strength and advance to active and useful mature magic as the learner grew older and wiser.

Josh hadn’t ever developed to the stage of pure magic. He hadn’t ever performed magic in any sense, and the thought of his inability created a huge lump in his throat. His mother had called it a Lock, which she described to happen from time to time, and it would solve itself at some point, according to her. Josh was nineteen and the Lock hadn’t gone anywhere. His mother had to reassure him at the end of every lunar cycle, when he realised no actual progress was happening with his talent. Personally, he regarded his life as a farce; he was a feared and reclused witch who couldn’t perform one single act of magic. He was still living with his parent, which honestly, wasn’t that bad, but most witches had moved out, at the age of eighteen, secure enough alone with their magic.

His mother just told him to have patience and keep practicing and he would get there, eventually. Josh didn’t want to give up, but every day that passed with no visible magic, he felt his life lose just a bit and a piece of meaning. How was he supposed to surpass his mother if he couldn’t perform any magic at all after already reaching adulthood?

Perhaps, he thought, a new town would provide a new challenge for his body, and his magic would sprout awake, and he could sigh a relief. He was lingering on that fine line between hope and desperation. So, he didn’t dare to get too excited about the change of landscape. He had, after all, stopped crying about his lack of magic a long time ago, surpressing the disappointment with himself under carefully placed layers. Maybe he would at least gain a friend, even if his magic would stay quiet.

 

***

 

The new town was situated in a geographical crook. Karelia was built next to a bay; the only barrier between the water and people in the town was an evergreen forest littered with paths to nests and holes of different species. The bay wasn’t used, as one traditionally would think, for transportation and exports to the town from communities on the other side lake, anymore. The large lake the bay led to was a nowadays a reserve for endangered species like mermaids and mermen as well as golden catfish and singing sprouts. The harmony was to not be disturbed, or so the town had agreed collectively, his mother had informed him. Josh understood. His mother had told him during the traveling, that the bay and the lake could be visited, but you had to do it respectfully and try to preserve the natural balance as best as you could. He took this as a careful encouragement from her, that she wished he spent more time out of the house away from the books. 

And Josh guessed he probably would, since he should settle into the new town and get familiar with it. Who knows, maybe he would end up spending the rest of his life there.

The night of the move was misty. The air had a chill after the change to a new year, so the nearby lake created pastel ambiance around the town. Josh thought it was a gorgeous night, but his mother was alert. Throughout the journey through the streets, she kept twirling her black curls between her fingers. Their villa was located near the main path to the bay, a few miles from the center of the town. The location would provide peace from the busy town and create a safer space for both Josh to practice and for his mother to run her business as Head Witch, as well as for clientele that would visit his mother. In other words, the forest was basically in their backyard, free for Josh to explore. He admitted to being excited about that to his mother. There was a clear spring in his step, as they walked. Josh sent a small thanks to whoever agreed to transport their furniture, clothes, and other belongings to the house in advance. It left his body and senses fully available to take in the town as they traveled under the street lights. Void seemed to be on good mood, too, Josh concluded, since the cat was twirling between his feet, making Josh’s step occasionally falter. 

”There is something in the air here, don’t you agree?” his mother suddenly noted. Excitement was visible in her frame. Josh focused momentarily on the air. Electricity. Waves of damp air, but no wind. ”Feels like a burden, maybe,” she continued. Josh hummed in agreement. 

”It might just be because it’s a new town for us, right? Nook was so familiar, that it felt basically the same every day,” Josh suggested, eyes shifting to her mother, taking in the subtle nervousness in her face. She nodded.

”I hope it’s just that.” 

 

*** 

 

It took three days for him and his mother to arrange the villa to their liking, creating an atmosphere where both of them could work in the most efficient way, so no one – except the Mayor to say hello and welcome them into the town – had visited yet. Every object had an aura, which essentially meant that furniture and sleeping arrangements needed to be carefully thought out so that energy would flow naturally and they could both rest and perform in the most profitable way. Before that, they couldn’t focus much into anything.

Josh was only a witch-to-be, so his mother assigned him the entirety of upstairs’ space, where the air was most clear and he wouldn’t be disturbed by guests and clients. His mother set up her business downstairs, where Earth’s pull was stronger and the air held more vibrations. She told Josh to move his stuff around in a way he found most pleasing for his spirit. She decorated the rooms downstairs to her own liking. 

From upstairs, Josh had a good view to the edge of the forest; a sand road ran between the edge and their house, leading back to the center of the town, the same road they had walked to get to their villa. A short walk past their house, the road had a junction in it – an opening to another road towards the forest. It had to be the main path that led to the bay. Josh thought he had seen a sign close to their new home that held directions and distances to the bay and other places in the forest. It was rather a large sign, which made Josh wonder just how many places there were amongst the trees. 

He was ready before his mother had fixed up the downstairs, so he decided to leave her to finish up and take a walk outside. He might as well have taken advantage of the proximity of the forest and start exploring it right away. Void seemed tired though, so he stayed put upstairs on Josh’s pillow, napping soundly. Daylight was already running out after a long day of work and setting up, so Josh figured he couldn’t be out for too long before he too got tired. He hurried out of the house after telling his mother he was going out. She hummed and told him to take care of himself. She must have known he was going to the forest. 

Josh jogged leisurely to the wooden sign and began reading the instructions. At the top of the sign was the name of the forest, that conveniently was named after the town: Karelian Woods. The most outstanding directions after that was not text but a picture; a human figure holding hands with a smaller human figure. After that was an explanation: ”Children must be accompanied by a guardian!”

After the warning, the sign depicted what had to be the main path to the bay. There was a starting point marked with red that said ”you are here” and an ending point that was marked as the Dock. There was a small skull after the name, which Josh found oddly ominous, but the symbol was very faded, so he figured the sign had to just be old with outdated symbolism. The skull was probably left there to signal the fact that the water beyond it was under governed protection and to be undisturbed. The main path was marked with a larger line than the paths that strayed from it. There were many smaller paths, which all ended to different destinations, and Josh decided he wanted to explore all of them sometime.

Today, though, Josh decided to focus on the main path. He was drawn to water after feeling the waves of damp air during the night of the move, so he figured the bay was the first thing his spirit called to explore. The sign told him that the path was three miles long, so he calculated it would take him close to an hour to reach the bay. He wouldn’t be back home until well into the evening, but he reasoned it was fine and his mother wouldn’t mind. 

He straightened the olive-green jacket that sagged on his frame, took a deep breath and started to walk towards the junction and so on deeper into the Karelian Woods. The forest seemed to sigh a welcome when he was only a few steps into his journey. Josh felt overwhelmed with the flow of energy and for a split second he wished Void was there to ease – or at least take part in – his anxiety. The trees, he noticed, were rich with strong green leaves and needles, and old pinecones and flown off flower sprouts lay everywhere. Grey mushrooms littered the ground at the bottom of the trees. The fresh smell of the woods was strong on Josh’s nose, and his excitement grew to a point where he was shivering with it. His steps were determined, his spirit trusting the forest’s welcome.

As Josh made his way, the forest seemed to fill with different sounds; birds singing, bugs buzzing, wind softly breezing through the leaves. The forest literally bustled, and Josh felt great even if he had had anxiety before. His surroundings felt somehow already familiar to him, and he could sense where the tracks that intertwined with the main path would lead to, whether there would be something welcoming or threatening at the end of it. 

The main path was a different thing, though, because Josh just felt the call of water. He just had assumed there was some life at the end of it, but all he felt was gentle waves, even if he hadn’t reached the actual body of water yet. Maybe the animals and other beings living in the forest respected the agreement on the untouchable nature of the lake that connected to the bay, and kept their distance. Regardless, Josh’s step didn’t falter at the thought of the bay being secluded – he was focused on seeing the Dock. He figured there had to be a pier at the end of the path. There might even be an old boat attached to it, too, if he got very lucky. His instintcs pulled him towards the water so strongly that his step quickened involuntarily. The deeper he walked, the faster his pace became. After half an hour of rather quick jogging, Josh started to hear something. 

It was a voice. 

It was a voice singing. 

Josh stopped briefly. He couldn’t figure out what the voice was singing, it was only a hum, to be exact, but he could tell it was a light voice and whoever owned it could hold their note. The most peculiar thing was that this hum, this song, was tightly linked to the waves Josh felt pulling him towards the bay. He continued his jog, and it soon escalated into sprinting. The singing grew louder every step he took forward.

He reached the Dock in less than fifteen minutes. There was a lonely long pier in the middle of he sandy beach as he had predicted, and further away, over the water, an entrance to the lake beyond it. Josh turned his sprint to soft and slow steps. He was panting. The air was vibrating. He tried to control his breathing, ease it back to normalcy, with deep puffs of air.

The pier wasn’t empty. There was a figure sitting on the old wooden surface of it. It looked like a boy with hunched shoulders clad in dark clothing. This boy was the one singing. Josh approached him carefully, taking in the mess of brown hair and bare arms that held their owner balanced on the edge of the pier. He took one last deep breath and shook the momentary exhaustion out of his body.

He should say something, he should definitely say something, but how could he without scaring the boy and making him fall into the water. He was fairly close, when his train of thought was disrupted by the boy, who stopped singing abruptly and said instead: “I know you’re here.” 

Josh’s heart sprung to his throat, which he cleared almost immediately. “Um,” he managed out before the figure was rising and turning around. Pair of big eyes started at him now, wide and curious and not in the slightest nervous or on edge as the boy took Josh in. Josh, on the other hand felt his anxiety growing, and nervously ran his hand through the curly blue hair framing his head. He cleared his throat again, and his toes were curling in his shoes, manifestation of his current alerted state. The boy looked expectant.

“Um, hello,” Josh finally said, voice only slightly wavering. The boy smoothed his faded green pants down and took a few steps forward. Josh could now make out a soft stubble on his chin, brown eyes, round lips and a straight nose, as he kept his eyes fixed on the boy’s face. A breeze in the air caught on the tree leaves, and a rustle sounded out around the bay. The boy was so close now. He smelled like fresh sea air and appeared to be an inch or two taller than Josh. The boy smiled and Josh shivered. 

The smile was the softest thing he had seen in a while, since Void was a little kitten with new fur. Josh’s anxiety eased a bit, and another earthy breath stirred the air. The quickly descending day created a warm hue on the environment, and on the boy. The water stilled and in mere seconds adopted the sky’s colour. Red was all around Josh and this boy.

“How did you end up here?” asked the boy with a slow drawl. His voice was soft, and as pleasant as his singing. Josh changed his balance from a foot to another to keep his nervousness at bay somehow. 

“I, um, I mean, we live right at the edge of the forest. Me and my mother,” Josh managed to explain under the heavy gaze. The boy’s eyes momentarily shifted to the road behind Josh, but he kept his focus on Josh’s alert figure. He felt the need to explain more. “We just moved in here, like three days ago, and I needed to get out of the house.”

“You are new?” Careful caution weighed the question. The boy was reserved suddenly, as far as Josh could tell, so he wanted to strip the stranger from his sudden change of demeanor.

“Well, yeah. I mean, I am nineteen, so not exactly new,” Josh tried to joke awkwardly, but it earned him another quick smile from the boy. The bad joke did the job, though, and the boy relaxed again. Josh’s tension had faded almost completely, too. 

“Oh, right,” the boy sighed, maybe chuckled, “welcome to town, I guess?”

“Thanks,” Josh felt himself smile finally, though his heart kept on pounding in his throat – now because of another reason than just anxiety. “Do you live in the town, then, too?”

The boy nodded. “Yes, in a sense.” Josh found the answer a bit odd, but he didn’t want to pry. The boy extended his hand. “My name is Tyler.” Josh took it and shook it. He told the boy – Tyler – his name but was suddenly pulled forward, his face under very close inspection under Tyler’s gaze as he covered Josh’s extended hand with both of his own. “You aren’t normal at all, are you, Josh?” Tyler spoke, curiosity visible in his brown eyes. His hands were squeezing Josh’s. 

He should have probably thought the statement was offensive, Josh was normal in all the ways, but he somehow knew that’s not what the boy meant. The smell of water was overwhelming in his nose now that Tyler was so close radiating warmth with his sun-kissed skin. Josh swallowed. Tyler was gorgeous, and so, so close. His heart kept pounding on. Could Tyler feel it in his hands? “I am a witch, yeah, if that’s what you are asking.”

“Oh, of course. But you are not very old to be a witch.” Tyler let go of Josh’s hand and took a step backwards. A mix of relief and disappointment washed over him.

“I’m only learning, still.” Josh wished that Tyler wouldn’t make him do any magic; it would have been rather disappointing for him. Tyler would have probably just laughed and made fun of him for being a failure, if he found out Josh couldn’t perform any actual magic.

Tyler didn’t ask, though. He just continued to inspect Josh from head to toe. Instead, he said: “I like your hair. Reminds me of the sea.” The boy brushed his hand quickly through Josh’s curls, and Josh’s felt his heart seize at the intimate gesture.

 

“Thank you,” he answered, voice bashful. Tyler’s smile was quickly beginning to be his favorite thing. The horizon was getting darker as the seconds passed. He didn’t want to leave yet. Tyler seemed nice, demeanor prompting for something more, creating a surge of braveness in Josh, and so he asked: “Would you like to sit with me for a while? I have yet to meet anyone from the town.”

Tyler hummed. “That probably explains why you are here,” he said puzzling Josh, “but sure. I wouldn’t want to drive you away, anyway, since your face looks pretty gorgeous.” The boy turned on his heels and reclaimed his place on the pier crossing his legs as he sat, leaving Josh stunned on his feet for a moment or two before he mentally commanded himself to _just move_. He seated himself next to Tyler, leaving room enough for a cat between them without even thinking about it. Tyler took notice of this and shifted his eyes towards him. Josh didn’t dare stare right back at him, even if he wanted to, fearing his face would give too much away. He was sure his desperation for anything meaningful would shine right through him, especially now that his fondness for the boy next to him was growing alarmingly fast.

“Your cat isn’t with you?” Tyler asked.  
Josh shook his head. “He was too tired to come along. It’s been a long day, so he is probably just annoyed with me at this point.”

“What’s his name?”

Josh chuckled to himself. “His name is Void.” People usually questioned his choice of a name for the cat, but he thought it was perfect, and very self-explanatory. Void was pitch black, unless light was reflecting from his eyes – then they would shine like two stars.

“He must be a black cat, then,” Tyler nodded to himself. 

“Oh, finally a smart one,” Josh blurted out, and for half a second he wished the ground – or the water rather – would swallow him and his big mouth, because you don’t go and patronize a stranger you’ve just met. Especially, when said stranger had a lot of potential to be a friend to him. But Tyler barked out a laugh and smiled a tooth-bearing smile, a line of crooked teeth on display.

“Well, I’ve been around. Don’t need to be a detective to figure that one out.”

Josh agreed. “How old are you then? You don’t look that old.”

“How old do you think I am?”

Josh dared to look up at that, curiosity taking over. What a strange thing to say again. He studied Tyler. Square shoulders. Lanky frame. The stubble growing in patches. A full head of brown, thick hair. Perfect, fresh looking skin. Clear eyes. He looked tired, bags under his eyes, he probably didn’t sleep well. But not old, definitely not old. He thought Tyler couldn’t be much older than him. He answered him accordingly.

“Okay then,” said Tyler only, smiling oddly at him, and Josh felt even more confused than he did before. Silence fell between them, both staring at the still-watered bay before them. There was no breeze in the air, yet Josh felt a chill travel through his spine. He wondered about home, but Tyler interested him more. Few moments more with him probably wouldn’t make a difference. 

He needed to know more about the boy next to him, and he feared if they talked about Josh, the conversation would turn to magic and his secret would come out. “So, do you come here often then?” 

“I spend all my time here, more or less,” Tyler answered uncrossing his legs, letting them dangle in the air. Josh looked at his feet just then and raised his brow. Tyler wasn’t wearing any shoes. He, having no filter what so ever apparently, blurted out: ”You have no shoes.”

Tyler swung one leg further, looking at it like he hadn’t noticed yet, and hummed agreeing. “So it seems.”

“Why not?” 

Tyler just looked at him and then turned his gaze back to the bay and apparently chose to not answer. “I don’t like them. But let’s not dwell on that,” he said in one rush, “let’s focus on you instead.”

“Oh, I’m not very interesting.”

“I’m going to have to disagree on that. Frankly, I find you very interesting.” Something must have stirred in the water further in to the bay because Tyler suddenly snapped his eyes to somewhere in his left. Josh followed his gaze a second or two behind but saw nothing. Tyler was purposefully silent and Josh decided it was best not to speak until he would prompt the conversation again. Four seconds later, Josh counted, Tyler continued, his face slowly turning towards him again. “Why were you panting when you came here? Were you chased by something?”

Josh felt warmth spread over his cheeks and was sure he was red all over. Tyler didn’t comment on it, though. Josh hesitated on what to tell him. Tyler wouldn’t probably judge if he told the truth. He seemed weird enough to appreciate it even, possibly. “I, um, felt a pull, I think? I feel these waves sometimes, and I kind of felt the water calling me.”

Tyler’s eyes widened. “Really?” His voice had truthful wonder in it.

“Yeah, and, uh,” Josh cleared his throat, “I also heard you sing, which kind of surprised me, since I hadn’t picked up on any signs of, um, human life.”

“Did you like my singing?” Tyler looked hopeful, something close to insecurity flashing in his eyes, which Josh found odd, since he seemed plenty confident. 

“Yeah, it made me feel,” yet again he cursed his big mouth, “safe.” To reveal such an intimate feeling to a stranger was risky, when you were maintaining the status of a witch. Josh had nothing to protect himself with, if it turned out this boy was hostile under all that softness.

A pregnant pause fell between them. Then, Tyler’s mouth melted into an honest and thankful smile, and Josh was starting to trust his gut feeling, that this boy was nothing to be worried about. Tyler seemed sincere, even if a bit reserved. They were, after all, still unfamiliar to each other.

Darkness was starting to surround them completely, Josh noticed, the Sun long gone. Night was soon here. The water, though, seemed to glow with clear light. It made him feel happy, but honestly, he thought he was just projecting his feelings onto something that probably wasn’t even there. Water, in the end, was just water. Tyler’s smile hadn’t faltered yet. Josh smiled back. Then he realized that he should finally head back, if he didn’t want to worry his mother. His smile fell. Tyler didn’t let that go unnoticed.

“What is it?” he asked.

“I think I need to return, now. It’s getting really dark.” Josh could feel the air around him change, as he watched Tyler’s frame shrink slightly. 

“Oh,” he sighed sounding disappointed. “I wouldn’t want to keep you here against your will.”

“You are not, believe me!” Josh said hurriedly. “But my mother will probably worry, if I’m not back soon, new town and all that,” Josh explained and stood up. Tyler rose, too. Their bodies seemed to be much closer like this. “I’d imagine you’d want to get home, too, soon, so.” Maybe Tyler would even walk back with him.

Josh’s remark got ignored. “So, you’ll come back here?” Tyler asked instead with an earnest voice, eyes wide and honestly, Josh wouldn’t say no ever.

“Of course.”

Josh’s walk back to the house was peaceful. The forest was vibrating like a lullaby by the time he turned back on to the sand road. At home, his mother looked at him like she knew something was up, but she didn’t ask. Upstairs, Josh lay on his bed, next to purring Void.

Josh petted him with care. “I think I met a boy,” he said out loud. Something, that reminded him a lot of hope, was growing in his chest, and he swore he heard Void hum an agreement.

 

***

 

Josh browsed through a box of old Herbology magazines, next to the window that looked out onto the street outside. Void was lying on his feet. It seemed to be a busy day for everyone else, too, than just his mother and him. She was talking to the old woman behind the counter a few feet away from him, presumably about a business arrangement regarding materials and equipment. “They apparently have the best quality in there,” his mother had said when they were making their way over. “A good business partner is a investment into the future, remember that, dear.” This was also why the conversation – or negotiation – between them had already taken a while. They seemed to have an understanding already, though, as the talk had a light tone to it and both women were wearing friendly expressions. 

Josh should probably have been a bit more interested in the business side of his and his mother’s profession, but he figured she would inform him in greater detail later. This box had free written on it, though, so he might as well have collected what he could. Other than that though, his mind was occupied by Tyler, mainly. He wondered when he would see the boy again, if he’d meet him on the streets coincidentally (improbable, but he liked to imagine it). His mother called from where she was standing, interrupting his day-time dreaming: “Honey? I am going next door to fetch some cases, and it’ll take a moment. You okay here or do you want to come along?”

Josh shook his head and called out a soft “no, I’m good”, and his mother left him alone with the old shop clerk, who then walked over to him. 

“You find anything useful in there?” Her voice was prickly but she seemed nice. Josh preferred to see the best in people, always, even if they didn’t choose to see that in him. Being a lover and not a fighter, he chose to present himself as passive over negative or hostile. 

“Yes, I think so, thank you,” Josh answered politely. “Anything that helps with practicing is good.”  
“You can come around anytime to look for more things. I have plenty lying around that’s not worth anything to me, really.” Josh nodded with a smile. “Have you found any friends in the town yet? I imagine you’d want to spent your days with friends rather than reading out-of-date papers.”

Josh tried to keep his face passive, tried to keep away the reality of loneliness away from his expression. “Making friends is kind of hard when you’re almost twenty,” he then says. “But, um.” He could mention Tyler. His hesitation sparked an interest in the old lady.

“So, you have met someone? That’s good. Loneliness is a terrible thing.” She sounded delighted for him.

Josh laughed nervously. “Um, yeah. I went for a walk in the forest yesterday, to be honest, and met this boy – uh, man. He seemed nice enough, so I might have scored myself a friend.” He smiled a bit sheepishly, but noticed a shift in the woman’s face. His smile faltered. 

“In the forest?” she asked carefully, sounding alert. “At the bay?” He nodded an answer. ”You should be careful out there, boy.” Josh didn’t appreciate the patronizing tone in her voice just then, but nevertheless he was intrigued. Void perked his small head up, too, Josh noticed.

“Oh? Is there something specific that I should look out for then?” She nodded rather seriously. 

“Not many people visit the forest. I don’t want scare you away, if I’m being truly honest with you,” she hesitated. “But you should know, since you live so near the bay, after all.” Now, Josh was truly interested. The forest had seemed quite normal, if you could call a magical forest normal, at least. The clerk continued.

“People tend to keep their distance from the bay, because the water has been guarded for centuries.” 

“Guarded?” Josh felt puzzled; it didn’t sound that threatening. The water had seemed peaceful.

“Yes,” she sighed, “by a Neck.”

“A Neck?”

She hummed an agreement. “It has been living there for a very long time now, even before anyone actually lived around here. After the town was built a century or so ago, and transportation through the bay was arranged, children began disappearing. And I don’t want to sound morbid, but,” she paused, “they turned out to have drowned.” Void meowed sharply, communicating something that Josh couldn’t quite understand.

Josh swallowed, suddenly shivering with anxiety. “They died? Was no one around to save them?” The incidents explained the warning sign outside of the woods. She shook her head softly. 

“No, unfortunately. But it occurred enough times, that the bay was closed for an investigation, and eventually they found out that a Neck was possessing the water. You know what a Neck is, right?”

“Not exactly, a spirit of some kind?” Void meowed again. The woman looked at the cat on his feet.

“It’s a malicious water spirit, that lures reckless children - older people, too, most likely - into the water and, huh,” she took a deep, shuddering breath, “drowns them. It was the perfect explanation really, so the bay was abandoned and people kept away from it. Still do. You wouldn’t believe the stories still going around.”

“Children aren’t allowed there anymore, I assume.” Josh felt terrible. He had been in danger without even knowing it. 

“That’s right. Parents tend to tell their children the story of the Neck just to teach them to be careful around water. Naturally that ends with the children being afraid for their life. Lord knows, I have scared my children with the story, too. The terrible thing is, though, that it’s not just a story. It’s a sad and horrifying reality.” Josh noticed melancholy in her eyes. Maybe she had lost someone back then, she seemed old enough. Josh took part in her melancholy, silently. 

She spoke again. “Yes, so that’s that. You really should be careful, if you plan to go back. Wouldn’t want anything to happen to you, on the off chance that your magic won’t save you. Hold on -” she walked to a bookshelf studying the books with a ring-clad index finger, grabbing something. “Here, take this. It’s by a local author.” The woman handed the book to Josh. “It has a section about Necks. It might help you prepare, if you run into it. No one has really seen it, for a while, though, so it might have left. Or died. Who knows. Remember to remind that boy of yours, too. He should be on alert, as well. It’s peculiar enough that he has wandered to the bay at all.”

The door opened with a ring of a bell and his mother stepped in holding three wooden cases rather awkwardly. “Josh, you are going to have to help me carry these back. One needs to be filled with the most crucial things first.”

He yearned to read more about Necks right away, but with a new task at hand, he would have to study the book later. For now, he settled for packing it in his backpack with the Herbology magazines. 

 

***

 

Josh fell on his bed, exhaustion taking over his body. After visiting the Wizardly Neccessities, his mother had dragged him along to visit a market center, to introduce herself and Josh to the people’s service. He understood the meaning behind it, making nice with the townspeople, so that business would flow without a glitch. His mother was, after all, to be of benefit to basically everyone in town at some point. They needed to be on good terms with the people to guarantee a peaceful life in the town for them. It was odd enough that they had transferred their business to a new place. Many witches didn’t leave their hometown, for the sole purpose of family renown, which carried on from generation to generation. Karelia’s late Head Witch had died though, without leaving an heir, so whispers about needing a replacement reached his mother, who took the opportunity. Nook, their hometown, had three Head Witches, so she had figured losing one wouldn’t start a chaos in the town, even if she was the best one. So, they ended up here. 

They had received a rather warm welcome, regardless of their strange heritage. The word about his mother’s excessive talents had most likely reached them before the actual end of year, the night of the move. The absence of Head Witch had probably scared the people; not having the support Head Witch brings had to have made life momentarily unstable. They ended up receiving many gifts, free food and garments, which they – Josh mainly, to be honest – had to carry home. It had put a strain on his back, so he thoroughly enjoyed lying down. Void lay next to him. Free time was blessed time.

He remembered the book then and sprung up, diving to look for it in his backpack. After picking it up, Josh lay back down and took in the cover. The book didn’t seem too new.

“Spirits – short introduction to the most common entities,” the title read. 

The book wasn’t very thick. Josh deduced it was due to there not being that many spirits around anymore. He also thanked the old lady in his mind for picking this particular book, since he had enough to read already. He flipped through the pages. It was a concise alphabetically organised lexicon. Josh browsed the pages to the letter N. He found the bit about Necks quickly. He felt eager to finally delve into the lore behind the story he had heard earlier. He began to read.

_» **A Neck** – alt. the **nixe** , **nicor** , **nixie** or **nokken** (German: _Nixe_ ; Dutch: _nikker_ , _nekker_ ; Norwegian: _nøkk_ ; Swedish: _näck_ ; Finnish: _näkki_ ; Estonian: _näkk_ ), is originally a Scandinavian being that usually lives near bodies of water. It is often confused with merpeople in Aqualogy but is a very separate organism. It can take the appearance of any being, but it often presents itself in a female or male human form, when it meets human life. In Swedish Aqualogy, a Neck is described to be a man, who plays a violin, but other branches of Aqualogy present other variations of a Neck’s form. Finnish tales, for example, describe Necks accordingly: “A matron and her young maid / busy with life, cleaning rags at the lake // Suddenly maid felt herself pulled by the toe to the lake by / a sharp-toothed fox with a glimmer in its eye // Matron shouted: ‘Neck, oh, Neck, please don’t take Tiina away!’ / Thus, the fox let go and slithered away” Neck has also been told to have manifested as a piece of clothing: “Down the lake, brats were playing, when near the shore, they noticed a garment float. They shouted to their mother: ‘Come fetch the clothing!’ Mother answered with venom in her voice, spit flying: ‘Hurry back! It’s the bloody Neck!’ So, the cloth sank away.”_

_Necks are presumed to habit the deepest part of a lake, but studies show, that they are capable of following a swimmer to the shore and walk on land at least to the point where floodwater ends. Old tales tell people to have thrown rocks from water on to land while shouting “Stay away!” as a precautionary action to scare the Neck away, but it has been proven to be defunctional. Thus far, there is no way to scare a Neck away, if one encounters it. Instead, people are instructed to avoid Neck habitats. Not much is known about Necks, their behavior or characteristics, and many base their views on anecdotes and real-life experiences; stories are shared about humans who drowned because a Neck pulled them into the depths. Only a few studies have been performed on the causuality between deaths by drowning and Neck habitats; correlation has not been established. Nevertheless, Necks have been feared and still continue to be feared, and stories involving a Neck are used to teach children how to behave near water.»_

No causality established, Josh read that part again. “Huh,” he sighed a bit dumbfounded. The dictionary didn’t make Necks sound too scary. The old woman’s story created definite dread in Josh, though, and he figured it was very reasonable to assume that Necks played a part in people dying at the bay. Josh knew first hand that not all that was magical was also friendly. A lot of horrifying things fit in to the world he was living in. 

He was sure he was going to go back to the bay, whether there lived a Neck or not, since it would probably be the only place he could meet Tyler at. As he had put it, he spent most of his time at the bay. Josh had promised to go back, anyway. He just needed to be more careful now, pay close attention to his surroundings. Void would have to come with him, too, even if he was tired. He made a mental note to warn Tyler, or at least remind him, about the possible Neck habitat he was hanging around.

“You are going to have to look after me, boy,” he said to the cat next to him, who just watched him under heavy eyelids. Josh took that as a yes. 

 

***

 

Mornings were the most viable times for magic to sprout, so naturally Josh was always hard at work during the early hours. There wasn’t much to do about the reality that his magic was inactive other than meditate and relax a certain amount of time in a day, so that’s what he did outside of devious theoretical studying. Drinks mixed with certain herbs could have hypothetically sped up the process, but Josh had tried those over the years and discovered that they didn’t work for him. Still, he drank a tea infused with strong mint and saffron every morning before trying to clear his mind of useless anxieties and insecurities regarding his magic. After hours of almost dissociating from his body, he practiced the simplest form of magic, telekinesis. It felt frustrating to realize, that he couldn’t even move the smallest objects, but nevertheless he kept trying. Every day. 

Today proved to be a failure once again, and by noon Josh was back at reading _Magical Dissonance (and how to deal with it)_. 

He had a hard time focusing on the text in front of him, though. His mind was wandering back to the bay after every sentence he read, words tangling together into an incoherent mess. He wondered if Tyler was sitting on the pier again, dangling his feet on the water, singing. Josh definitely wanted to hear him sing again.

He then slammed the book shut and stood. Half a second later, Void was perched next to him, ready to follow wherever Josh was planning to go. “We are going out, buddy,” he said, and with a confident stride he exited the house. No point waiting, he thought, might as well get a move on, if he wasn’t going to do anything productive today. Tyler seemed somehow much more important to him, compared to magic that refused to acknowledge Josh’s existence. 

Besides, maybe making a real friend would ignite something in his blood. New challenge, and all, he thought.

Josh was suddenly filled with determination to figure Tyler out; their last meeting was so brief and left Josh so utterly puzzled, craving for more. It might have been because Josh’s own life was so dull – nothing exciting ever happened to him, and the boy on the pier was a distraction from his own predictability. Tyler seemed like a mystery ready to be solved. He voiced his curiosity out loud to Void, even if he wasn’t sure how much of that he understood. At times, this line of communication proved functional: other times, it was like talking to a brick wall.

“He didn’t have any shoes on, and I didn’t see them anywhere. Who doesn’t wear shoes?” The cat meowed an answer, a sassy one at that, which communicated that “cats, for example”, and Josh laughed. “Yeah, well, he is a human, so it seems a bit weird, don’t you think?” Josh swore he saw Void raise a furry brow. “Stop being so condescending! You’ve got a point there, though. He might _not_ even be human, though he seems like one plenty.” Void seemed pleased to end their rather flowing conversation there, and Josh couldn’t but to obey his cat. Interaction between people and animals happened on the animals’ terms. Josh’s mind was racing, though, almost to the point of being obsessive. 

Tyler spent most of his time at a suspected Neck habitat, or so he had told him. Josh’s couldn’t understand why he would risk his life like that. Sure, the bay was a gorgeous place to hang around, but he guessed the forest was filled with other beautiful sights and things. Maybe the thrill of being in danger kept Tyler coming back. Josh couldn’t blame him, since he too felt almost physically being pulled toward the bay. He had never felt such a connection to water before.

Tyler was enticing, too, to be honest, Josh thought. He’d never been in any kind of a relationship before. Tyler had complimented him, even if in a very blunt manner. Josh appreciated it, anyway, since he had a hard time deciphering the subtleties of flirtation. Straightforwardness, on the other hand, was pretty hard to miss. Tyler, amidts all his mystery, had been very direct with Josh. 

Josh’s heart started to pound again. He felt the now familiar call of the bay. He couldn’t resist the urge to run; following the call released a spike of endorphins in his body. Void meowed but sprinted alongside him, anyway. After a while, he started to hear humming. 

It must have been Tyler. Josh sighed in relief, as he tried to focus on the song. No words were once again audible, but Josh picked out a melancholic sound. Tyler’s song seemed sad. Josh tried to run as fast as he could. 

Once the road opened to the beach and the pier became visible in the horizon, Josh saw Tyler’s frame, illuminated by the sunlight reflecting from the water. The song echoing through the air then ended, and the person on the beached turned towards the road. 

“Thought I heard you coming,” Tyler stated and he was smiling that soft smile again. Josh’s heart hurt, as he reached him, panting softly. “You weren’t here yesterday, though.”

Josh swallowed. Tyler had wanted to see him. “Sorry about that. I had a busy day.”

“That’s fine, obviously. Not like you don’t have a life outside of,” he paused, “well, of all this.” He gestured to the bay and only briefly to himself with a tanned hand.

Josh barked an awkward laugh. “If I’m being honest here, I pretty much have nothing going on right now. But here I am, again. As promised.” Tyler smiled almost shyly, a hand coming up to twirl hair strands between fingertips. 

“I brought -” he looked at his feet then, Void wasn’t there “- my cat with me but.” He looked back at the road, and there he was, frozen mid-step a few feet away from him and Tyler. Tyler stared at the cat, too. Void was eyeing Tyler almost suspiciously, Josh realized, his tail was twitching. 

“Hold that thought,” Josh said and walked the short distance to Void, who just kept staring at Tyler. “Hey, buddy. It’s okay, he is nice, I promise.” Void then turned his gaze to Josh and let himself be picked up. Josh petted him with a light hand. “He hasn’t done this with strangers in a while, so who knows what’s up.” Josh carried Void back to where Tyler stood. “This is Void. He likes napping and pushing stuff off of tables.”

Void was purring, not with kindness to be exact, when they were so close to Tyler. Tyler seemed on edge, too, his hands clued tightly onto his sides, clearly avoiding making any sudden moves. “He doesn’t like me. He doesn’t find me nice, like you do,” Tyler said, repeating Josh’s words back to him. He felt heat rise on to his cheeks. 

“Yeah, well, I think he just doesn’t know you,” he stated, slightly embarrassed. Tyler lowered himself on the cat’s level. They stared at each other, almost comically. Then Tyler spoke.  
“Void,” he said carefully, “I’m not going to hurt you or Josh.” They stared at each other again. Void stopped his hostile purring. Then, Tyler lifted his hand slowly to pet the cat’s head, and finally Void gave in, and let himself be caressed, cautiously pushing back on the boy’s hand. Josh was pleased, feeling like Void had given Tyler his approval. 

“See, he likes you already.” Tyler’s eyes had a michevious glimmer in them as he looked at Josh.

“As easily pursued as his owner, then,” he said and Josh felt his blush deepening. After a small moment of petting the cat, Tyler straightened his back.

Josh then put Void down, and the cat playfully circled Tyler’s bare feet with small steps. “This is kind of odd. He hasn’t acted like this with anyone I’ve ever met.” Tyler’s eyes were glued on the cat, following each step he took around around his feet. 

“I must be something else then,” his tone was almost asking. Josh didn’t answer, though he wanted to agree, that yes, Tyler was something else entirely. “He is lovely, to be honest. I don’t usually get along with animals.”

Of course, Josh thought, it explained the sudden waryness between them. “Right, I should have asked. Not everyone on this planet likes cats,” he mentally slapped himself. Tyler lifted his gaze, apologetic look on his face.  
“Oh, no, that’s not what I mean. I like basically everyone,” he said, pausing with hesitation. “They just don’t seem to like me very much.” 

Josh felt bad for him, suddenly. Tyler seemed so friendly and inviting. He looked at the cat, who was now rubbing himself on Tyler’s legs. “I’m glad he likes you, then. I don’t understand why anyone wouldn’t.”

“It’s pretty complicated, and kind of terrible, so let’s not dwell on it. Let’s go sit.” Josh followed Tyler on to the edge of the pier, where the pair then sat down. He felt perplexed; everytime Tyler revealed something, tons of other questions took its place. Void, having no more chill what so ever left, folded himself on Tyler’s legs, giving Josh a pointed look, that was so layered with different things, he couldn’t keep up with what it meant. Tyler’s expression was a mixture of dumbfoundedness and tenderness as he started to pet Void’s black fur. The cat purred softly. 

Josh looked at the pair. There had to be weird look on his face because Tyler asked a quiet “what?”

Josh huffed. “I don’t know if I should feel, like jealous or something.”  
Tyler snorted. Void just kept purring. “Jealous of me, or of the cat?” 

“Very funny,” his voice wavered. Josh knew he was deep red.

“You make it very easy to fluster you, but I’m sorry if you don’t like it. I’ll stop.” Tyler’s smile was honest, his brown eyes full of fondness maybe. 

“No, no, it’s, uh,” he swallowed. “I guess, it’s fine. It’s just that I haven’t felt like this ever, probably.” 

Tyler perked up at that, his demeanor suddenly radiating curiosity. “What do you mean?”

Josh debated on taking his statement back, or saying something vague. He didn’t have a direct answer. “I feel,” he hesitated for a long moment. Josh thougt the real answer to the question would be probably something along the lines of “I feel wanted”. Tyler looked oddly hopeful. “Good. I feel good around you,” he settled on saying, “I want to know you.”

“You can.” Tyler’s eyes were piercing his. Josh felt exposed under the gaze.

“Okay.”

A long pause.

Josh huffed. “I have literally no idea what to ask anymore.” Tyler laughed brightly, throwing his head back in amusement.  
“Start with the simplest thing you can think of then, maybe.”  
Josh was quiet for another small moment. “What do you like about this place?”

“The bay?”

Josh nodded. 

Tyler hummed thoughtfully, eyeing the water again. “I like it because -” another hum “- it’s a home, I guess.”

“You’re not sure?”

“Well, what’s a home really? Because honestly, I don’t know if this is a home to me. If anything is, actually. Sometimes, I feel like I’m stuck in this place that I don’t like and can’t escape. Everything seems pointless,” his tone was jaded. Josh noticed a shift in Tyler’s eyes; for a while he looked so lost in his thoughts, that Josh feared he wouldn’t find his way back. Josh knew what he meant, though, finding comfort in Tyler’s personal loneliness that was transparent in his speech. 

“Does your family live here?” Josh dared to ask.  
“Oh, I don’t have a family,” Tyler said, sounding almost disinterested. “I’ve been alone as long as I can remember.”

That both bewildered and shocked Josh; surely Tyler had some kind of a family. “You don’t have anyone? Anyone at all?” Tyler shook his head, eyes shining with anticipation to see Josh’s reaction. Josh felt terrible; at least he had his mother and Void. He didn’t want to say sorry, mainly because he didn’t want to come across as pitying. Instead he said: “Well, now you’ve got yourself a friend.” He placed a hand on Tyler’s bony shoulder and squeezed softly.

Tyler didn’t smile, then, but his expression communicated relief and with the smallest voice, he answered: “Thank you.” And that was all Josh needed. He kept his hand on Tyler’s shoulder for a moment longer.

“How did you end up here, Josh…” Tyler’s question didn’t sound like a question at all; his voice sounded almost astonished. “You told me you felt a pull.”

“Yeah, but at first I was just curious about the bay. As a witch, I’ve learnt to appreciate nature on another level. Ultimately, though, I think I was just bored.”

“Bored of what?”

Josh snorted. “Everything, I think. My life is pretty pointless. My only friends are my cat and my mother, and if that isn’t a bit tiring, then I don’t know what is.” He looked at the ball of black fur, who was now soundly sleeping in Tyler’s lap. The boy almost absentmindedly petted him still. 

“But you’re a witch? You could do basically anything,” Tyler asked clearly confused. 

And there it was, Josh thought, they were tiptoeing so close to his secret. “It’s not that simple. Being a witch isn’t exactly a walk in the park,” he said, hating himself for letting annoyance creep in to his voice. 

“Then, tell me, please?”

Josh sighed deeply. “When you are capable of doing everything there is to do as a person, people get jealous,” he said. “With jealousy comes all kinds of problems. Some want to take advantage of you, some just keep their distance never wanting to truly get to know you. All they see is a witch - ”

Tyler interrupted suddenly. “I think I can relate to that.” Then he noticed what he had done and quickly said: “Sorry, continue, please.”

Josh’s train of thought was lost for a second before he resumed. “So, when they see you as a witch only, the person behind the talent gets lost, and ends up, well,” he looked at Tyler pointedly, “alone. Which then means I have a hunch on how you feel about home not being a home.”

Tyler nodded. “Have you ever felt like you were at home?”

Josh pondered for a moment. “Maybe once, when I was a kid. Nowadays, I don’t even think I know what a home is. I am a useless witch, still living with his mother and confiding in my cat only.” Then he realized what he had said, a momentary hope coursing through his body that Tyler hadn’t notice his slip up, but it was for naught.

Of course Tyler asked: “What do you mean useless?” Like everything Tyler said, it sounded like honest wonder, almost even worry. Josh doubted on what to tell him. His eyes shifted over the horizon, unable to focus. On the other hand, he could just say it, just come out with it. Thus far, no one, except his mother, knew about his struggle with magic. Tyler would be the first. Josh wondered, if he would look at him differently. 

“Josh, why are you a useless witch?” Tyler asked again impatiently, now worried. Josh noticed Void had woken up and left Tyler’s lap to rub his head on Josh’s arm. He meowed softly, when Josh glanced at him. He might as well prepare to flee, if Tyler reacted badly, so he stood up. Tyler followed instantly, radiating concern with his whole posture. 

Eyes firmly on the ground, Josh took a few steps back, and then he said quietly: “I can’t do magic.”

A heavy silence fell between them. Josh didn’t dare to look at Tyler, expecting ridicule from him. Silende drug on.

Abruptly, he felt warm arms around him, and Josh’s head snapped up. Tyler was hugging him, squeezing him tightly, filling Josh’s nose with the scent of sea. Then Tyler whispered: “You will, I know you will.” It encouraged Josh to finally cling onto him, to breath in the sincere comfort. For a small moment, he truly felt like everything was going to okay, for once.

They stood there for what seemed like a small forever, when Josh then pulled away. “Thanks for, you know, not making fun of me. All this has been kind of, um, yeah.”

“I would never make fun of you.” Tyler’s eyes were piercing again, but this time Josh knew they communicated honesty, to help Josh believe his words. He nodded. “But, now, after this giant wave of honesty, we should probably do something fun.” Josh was glad about the change of topic, eager to know what Tyler wanted to do.

“You got an idea?” 

“How do you feel about swimming?”

Josh pondered only a moment. “I could go for a swim, yeah.” He felt a nudge on his leg, but he ignored it.

Tyler’s smile was wider than ever. “That’s great, because I think I saw a new flower sprout earlier today near the rock there. D’you see it?” Tyler was pointing at something small floating in the middle of the bay, near some hay and a flat rock peeking above the surface. Josh felt another nudge on his leg. Tyler was already walking off the pier, back on the beach, stripping his shirt off. Josh felt his heart rate quicken just then. Tyler’s back was like carved from marble by an artist. Another nudge, and Josh finally looked at down, seeing Void nudge a push intently on his leg. “What, what is wrong with you?” he asked exasperated. Void meowed loudly, eyes concerned, and something clicked in Josh’s mind. 

The Neck. 

“Wait!” he shouted at Tyler, who was almost already in the water. He turned around, eyes filled with glee but curious. “Listen, we can’t go in, because –“ then it dawned on him. His entire posture fell. Void meowed loudly, skittering further away from the pier already. Josh’s heart was pounding, this time with realization. He stared at Tyler’s gorgeous body, clad in only his trousers ready to be stripped off, chest bare, eyes wide. 

How could he have been so stupid, Josh silently screamed at himself. Of course. Didn’t the lady say the Neck lures his victims into the water, after all.

Tyler’s expression shifted, confusion washing over him. “Josh, what’s going on?” he asked sounding suddenly so scared, which Josh found ironically amusing. He must’ve looked furious. But he figured it was allowed, since he had been almost falling for a killer. Deep disappointment and fear took over his body, and he didn’t know what else to do than to run away.

So, he ran, Void already ahead. Last thing he heard was Tyler loudly calling after him. The desperation in his voice made Josh’s heart cave in.

 

***

 

Josh was heaving when he reached his house’s front steps. His mind had been a mess of static white noise throughout the way out of the forest. He was shaking all over, feeling betrayed and even more worthless than he had before. He collapsed on to the porch, lying on the wooden surface. Void perched himself on his stomach, purring loudly, trying to comfort him. Josh, in all honesty felt like crying. He had been so close to falling for Tyler, making a real friend out of him. He had confided in him, revealed his secret, made himself vulnerable. 

Josh felt like yelling, and he did. “How the hell could I be so stupid! I almost got myself killed!” Void meowed, looking at him with apologetic and sad eyes. “I didn’t mean to do that to you, didn’t mean to let him touch you. I am so sorry,” he said to the cat, who looked like he understood. “My God, I wish I wasn’t so fucking useless always!” His head was overflowing with so many emotions, he couldn’t resist tearing up. Soon his eyes were so misty, he couldn’t see clearly. He didn’t know, which hurt more; the fact that Tyler was a killer, or that he had gained his first real friend and just like that, lost him. The tears kept spilling. 

He felt nudging, again, then. First, he ignored it, but Void’s soft meow and movement off of him, made him sit up and wipe his eyes. 

He looked around him.

All over the wooden porch, white calla lilies were sprouting, almost like from nowhere, surrounding him with incredible speed. At first, Josh was startled, borderline confused about what was happening. Then, his heart leaped into his throat, and he was laughing with mirth. The flowers kept sprouting. He snatched Void into his lap and cuddled him. His magic had woken up. All earlier disappointment and hurt dissipated as he felt pure joy. He hurried inside, out of breath and excited.

He found his mother in the kitchen, mixing herbs and chemicals in a pot. She didn’t notice him at first.

“Mother,” he said pointedly, having a hard time keeping his voice and tears of happiness under control. His mother turned, and a quick look at Josh’s face told her what she needed to know.

“It happened?” Josh nodded. Then his mother was embracing him, kissing his cheeks, crushing Void between them. “I knew you could do it. This has been a long time coming. The change of scenery was good for you, I knew it.” Josh kept nodding, feeling so relieved and so content in his mother’s arms.  
“We’ve got so much to work on now, but I think you’ll make quick progress after this,” his mother let go of him. “You ready for your real life to begin?” she asked full of excitement. 

Josh sighed deeply. “Yes.”

The next days and the following few weeks was a chaos of intense practicing. Josh was eager to catch up on lost time, so he barely slept. He focused solely on practicing magic, trying to strengthen it to mature magic. His Lock had affected the period of having involuntary magic, so he quickly advanced to the level of useful magic. He thanked his lucky stars for it, since he probably wouldn’t have had the patience to wait the pure magic out. 

The trickiest thing to learn was the balance between ingredients he used for his conjuring. Some aspects of magic were much like alchemy, nothing could become of nothing – in other words, you had to give something to create something. Theoretically, it had sounded easy, but practically, Josh struggled with it. His first week he practiced turning simple ingredients to different materials, sticks to wooden spoons, metal plates to rings and so on. Focusing was the key. His mother told him, that eventually, it would come naturally, without even thinking about it. 

Josh got the hang of telekinesis in no time. After a couple of times of failed levitation, he became able to float and move things around like it was nothing. His mother looked so proud of him after every step he took forward. She must have felt how hard being magicless was for him. 

Manipulating organisms’ behavior was difficult also. Josh deduced that it was due to them being alive and having a mind of their own. So, Josh started with bees, trying to make them fly wherever he wanted. Then he moved on to hexing larger animals, and Void became the subject. (Of course, he asked permission first – that didn’t mean the cat liked it one bit.) His second and third week was spent on behavioural manipulation. His mother had a long talk about it with him, teaching him about the dos and don’ts, since controlling someone’s behavior was the most controversial part of being a witch. Josh understood why. He promised and vowed to be careful and considerate with the power he had. 

The beginning of fourth week, Josh spent on brewing potions. He was thankful they didn’t need to be tested on humans or animals; certain leaves were enough of a proof, when they were dropped into the liquid – the reaction would decide whether they worked or not. Josh mixed both luck and love potions, alongside of basic instant cough medicine and voice-altering shots. By the time he finished them, he was exhausted, ready to crash. 

Josh was lying on his bed, half-asleep, when his mother came into his room and sat on the edge.  
“You should take a longer break now from practicing. I don’t want you to tire yourself entirely out,” he caressed his leg softly. Josh sighed in agreement. “Your progress has been amazing.”

Josh chuckled. “Thanks. For a while, though, I didn’t believe any of this was impossible.”

“I’m going to be honest with you now, that you’ve finally got your magic,” his mother said with a serious tone. Josh sat up, leaning against the wall behind him, ready to listen. “For a while, I didn’t believe it was possible either. You went so long without showing any signs of physical magic, and I got so worried.” His mother looked sad. She watched Josh with apologetic eyes. “I felt like it was my fault, and then I felt guilty that I didn’t believe you had it in you at all. I felt terrible, but I couldn’t show it obviously. I didn’t want to upset you more. You had such a hard time with it.” Josh hummed, appreciating his mother’s honesty even if he felt a small twinge of hurt somewhere in his heart. 

“But now, you are becoming better, stronger so fast that it feels so stupid to have even doubted you. You are so gifted. Your magic is diverse, and now I truly believe that you will eventually become better than me,” she smiled proudly, crooked teeth on display. “And I can’t wait for that day to come.” She squeezed his leg, and just now Josh believed her wholeheartedly. It felt good to be confident, to finally be back on his path.

Then she said: “You never told me, though, what happened when your magic sprouted. Catalysts are very interesting things.” Josh then instantly remembered the day, the disappointment, the betrayal, the hopelessness. His face must have shifted, because then she asked: “Hey, what’s wrong? You don’t have to tell me about the catalyst, if you don’t want to.”

Josh shook his head. “I’ll tell you. It’s just that it’s not a very happy thing.” Mother looked expectant. “I think it was because I felt heartbreak.” She didn’t seem surprised, more understanding than anything. 

“Did you meet someone?”

“Yes, but he turned out not to be who I thought he would be.” Josh thought of wide eyes, soft smile, crooked teeth, warm arms and the smell of sea water.  
“Tell me about it, please?” his mother asked, and Josh started to speak, telling her about everything that set him up to disappointment; about meeting Tyler, hearing the old lady’s story about Necks, getting to know Tyler, and eventually his decision to run away. He felt empty when he finished. His mother looked thoughtful. 

“Show me the book,” she asked, and Josh levitated it to her arms. She browsed to the part about Necks, and spent her time reading it carefully. She obviously had something in her mind. “So, this Tyler talked about loneliness, right?”

Josh nodded. “He said he felt like he was stuck. Honestly, the answer was there, in the plain sight. I don’t know how I didn’t realize the second I heard about a Neck living there. He seemed very aware of the water.” His mother nodded her head lightly, still examining the text. 

“I knew something was up with this town. I just didn’t guess it was projected dread that I was feeling.”  
“You talking about the night of the move?” She nodded. She was silent for a long time, just watching the text in front of her. Then she looked at Josh with soft eyes. 

“Tell me what happened the moment your magic sprout.”

Josh swallowed. “I, um, was crying, and the next thing I knew white callas surrounded me.”

“Calla is a flower of grief, you know that, don’t you?”

“Yes, I figured it was just a manifestation of my feelings at the time.”

His mother hummed. “Do you feel that now?”  
Josh shook his head no. “I feel kind of empty, kind of disappointed that it turned out like this.”

“Have you visited the forest after you ran out?” She asked, perplexing Josh. Why would he want to, honestly? He voiced his opinion.

“Let’s go make a visit,” she said standing up.  
“Mother.”  
“Don’t argue with me on this, okay. Just trust me.”

So, he stood up rather reluctantly, looked at Void in the cat basket to communicate to him that he shouldn’t bother getting up, and he and his mother left the house. 

“I have a theory about the callas, if you want to hear it after I show you something,” her tone was calm. Josh was intrigued, his heart beating a tad faster with anxiety. The walk to the entrance to the forest was short.

He didn’t have to walk too deep into the forest to realize what his mother wanted to show him. White calla lilies were sprouting every where non-stop. The ground was flowering with them as far as he could see, the smell strong on his nose. 

“You quit producing on the porch the moment you walked into the house. This is not your doing, well,” his mother huffed a laugh, “not entirely your doing.”

Josh was astonished as well as bewildered, he didn’t understand at all, what his mother was saying. She seemed to notice.

“One thing that stood out in your meeting with Tyler, was the fact that you felt a pull so far away from him. That’s not ordinary behavior, even for a Neck, if he is using his skills.”

“What does that mean?” Josh asked, even if he could guess the answer. 

“What I think is going on is, that you have a bond. You probably had one the moment you stepped into this bloody town. He must be stealing some of your magic, accidentally, and making these flowers grow. Honestly, it is amazing.” She looked almost gleeful, but Josh couldn’t see the joy in the moment. It didn’t change what Tyler was. 

“He still made those kids drown,” he said, tone flat and sad. 

His mother sighed. “You don’t know that, though, do you?” she asked, eyes sharp as she crossed his arms. “People make mistakes, when they are afraid of something they don’t understand. I personally don’t think this boy had anything to do with those deaths. Children die due to stupid things all the time. Accidental drowning is nothing new, sad to say.” Josh didn’t realize he was holding his breath, waiting for a final confirmation with a sob in his troath ready to spill. “The book said it, too. There’s no proof. Josh, my dear boy, I understand your reaction to it, you couldn’t have known.” She then embraced him and caressed his blue hair. 

“You honestly don’t think he did it?” Josh asked, voice vibrating with anxiety, with careful hope. The flowers just kept sprouting. Callas were flowers of grief.

“No, I don’t. People tend to have so deeply rooted prejudices when it comes to magical beings. Us, too, remember.” Josh nodded, breathing in deep his mother’s scent. Slowly, he was beginning to realize, that he might have been wrong after all. The only person with answers, though, was Tyler himself. 

“I think you need to speak to him.” His mother let go of him, looking at him with kind eyes. 

“He might not want to see me, anymore,” Josh uttered. His heart seemed to be permanently pounding too fast. 

“You still need to try. You’ve never given up before.”

Josh nodded, decisively. His mother was right. He pushed his exhaustion aside, determined to see this out by the end of the day, and with a quick thank you to his mother, Josh started to make his way through the flowers, deeper into the woods. 

 

****

 

Wind blew through the trees, making the leaves bristle loudly. It made birds and insect restless, and if Josh had been focused on them at all, he would have noticed how many of them surrounded him, flew around him in multiple colors and shapes. But his blood was boiling in his ears, heart in his throat, pounding away, making it impossible to hear anything at all, other than the loud beating. He hadn’t felt so anxious in a long time.

He felt scared. Scared of facing Tyler again. Scared of facing the reality of the situation, whatever it turned out to be. There was only two ways the meeting would go, after all. Josh shuddered. Closure was a chatartic feeling, but the finality of it was terrifying. 

The smell of callas was daunting. He didn’t want to think of it as a premonition, that what Tyler had to say would be the end.

If he hadn’t been so determined in his steps, he would have probably been careful not to smash any of the blooms under his feet. It would have been impossible, since the soil was basically a field of them, but Josh liked to think all life was precious to him, at all costs. He thought of the accusations concerning Tyler, then. He swallowed thickly. 

This time, he didn’t run to Tyler. He took his time on his walk, not too eager to find out, what exactly was waiting for him at the bay. Would Tyler look different? Necks could change form, right? There was an off chance, that he wouldn’t even be there anymore. It had been almost a month, since he’d seen him. Josh didn’t know what he would think of it; would it be an admission or just an escape?

The field of flowers made the path seem a lot longer than it actually was. Josh started to have a hard time keeping his tiredness at bay, feeling energy drain from his body. He didn’t stop though, even if the path took a toll on him, evey step stripping him of his fragile determination. By the time, he reached the pier, he was tired to his bones and he felt hollow with unease.

Apparently, he was alone. The pier was empty with no one in sight. The water was dark and still. Suddenly, everything was so silent. Josh collapsed on the pier, knees hitting the wood hard. His lungs and heart felt like they caved in because of disappointment, that brought an abrupt stop to the pounding in his chest. 

Then behind him, he heard a quiet _hey_. Josh stood back up, turning around. Eyes wide he stared at Tyler, who looked so small and even more tired than he had when they first met. He was standing near the edge of the forest, furthest away from the water that Josh had so far seen. He slowly walked over to Josh, gazing at him with caution. A pregnant quietness surrounded them. Tyler looked at him with sad eyes, but clearly waiting.

Josh didn’t hesitate then. “Did you do it? Kill those children.” He realized his heart was beating so vigorously again with anticipation, that he thought his ribs would break. 

Tyler sighed. “No.” Josh believed him; somehow, he knew Tyler wasn’t lying, but there seemed to be more to it, because Tyler looked guilty anyway. He breathed in deep relief, and Tyler sat down almost shakily. Josh did too, crossing his legs. 

“Tell me what happened,” Josh said. 

Tyler was quiet for a long time, staring somewhere far into the red horizon. The sun had set. He was fiddling with the hem of his shirt. Then he started talking. “People used to come here a lot. They’ve been coming here as long as I can remember, but not to swim since the water gets deep really close to the shore, and it’s rarely warm enough. Some people, they let their children come here alone. It was terrifying, watching them play on the pier so recklessly. I thought about showing myself to them, to scare them away in a way to keep them safe from falling into the water,” Tyler visibly swallowed, “but there was always a chance they would fall in just because of that, and it would be my fault they died. So, I kept myself hidden, trying not to pay attention.” Tyler fell silent, his brows furrowed in grief. 

“Then, one day,” he continued, “I was sleeping in my hut, it’s there um, hidden…“ He trailed off once again, gesturing with an awkward hand to somewhere to his left. Josh just saw thick leaves. ”One day, I heard screaming from the pier, and I looked out of my window and saw this woman kneeling on the sand over something. Turns out it was a pair of kids, who had fallen in earlier that day. They had drowned, I don’t know the specifics.” Tyler fell quiet, clearly uncomfortable telling the story. His chest was heaving. Josh could feel the sadness radiating from the body next to him. Josh was quickly stripped off of his anger, and instead it was replaced with intense amount of empathy. Tyler was back to fiddling with his shirt. Josh carefully took one of his hands and held it, tightly. Tyler didn’t protest. 

“I could have prevented it. I was so scared of something happening because of me. Turns out it happened anyway. Not because of me, yes, but it might as well have,” he suddenly sounded angry with himself. His eyes were now closed, mouth a serious line. The water was glowing red, quiet and still around them. “They stopped using this place pretty quickly, after that.”

Josh watched the boy next to him with soft eyes. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that, the guilt.” He realized, that an entire town of people blamed Tyler for deaths he didn’t cause. “I don’t think I need to say this, but it’s really not your fault. It was an accident.” Tyler huffed a laugh.

“I feel like I relive it every day I spend alone here. I am so aware of everything that moves in the water, that I’m sure it’s just another kid drowning.” He smiled so sadly. “Like I said, I’m stuck here. And out there, in the town, there are thousands who think I murder children.” Tyler sounded bitter, but more than anything, just disappointed. Josh gripped his hand more tightly

“How long have you been here?” he asked.  
Tyler hesitated, calculating years clearly. “A century, more or less, I think. I've been here for so long, with this body and these thoughts. It gets so tiring.”

“Have you ever thought about leaving? You don’t have to be stuck in here.”

“Why would I? I have nothing out there, no one to go to, to spend time with. When people find out what I am, they get scared. You did, too. You ran away.” Tyler looked at Josh then, eyes almost pleading, but Josh didn’t know what for. 

“That was honestly stupid of me,” Josh admitted with a sigh. “I am sorry about it. I should have stayed and talked with you.” Glimpses of that day flashed before Josh’s eyes. Tyler was so excited to spend time with him. “At first, I didn’t even realize you were a Neck.”

“I noticed. I chose then not to tell you, figured you’d piece it together yourself. I did ask you to swim with me, didn’t I? I thought you knew by then.” Tyler looked like he was sorry. 

“That was a bad decision. Look how that turned out,” Josh said looking at Tyler pointedly. “I wouldn’t have thought anything about it, if you had told me right away.”

“Yeah, well, I had a chance to make a friend, so,” he trailed off. Josh nodded understanding. 

“I still want to be your friend,” he said then and Tyler’s face relaxed, but he looked doubtful.  
“Even if it’s going to take a while? I’m like nineteen problems piled on top of each other.”

Josh laughed, abruptly. “I’m ready for it. I want to know the real you.”

“I want to know you, too.” Tyler paused. “What made you come back?”

“Mother showed me something, and told me you and I shared a somekind of a bond, probably.”

“Why does she think that?” Tyler asked confused. Josh snorted. “What?”

“The forest behind us is literally blooming because of you, mainly.” Tyler’s eyes widened, posture alert. 

“But I don’t have any magic? At least, not in that sense.”

“She explained that you must be accidentally piggybacking off of my magic, manifesting your feelings as callas throughout the entire forest.” Josh couldn’t resist smiling. Tyler looked so exasperated. 

“You said you couldn’t perform any magic,” the boy stated. 

“Back then, I couldn’t,” Josh said proudly. “The day I left you, I felt so broken that my magic sprouted. Not going to lie, I’m pretty good at it already, though, even if it started with just a few funny flowers.” Then Tyler was hugging him tightly, and Josh felt startled only for a moment, before he hugged back. The embrace was awkward, their bodies in odd, strained positions. Nevertheless, they didn’t let go for a while.

“I’m sorry I hurt you,” he whispered, “I knew you had it in you. I knew you were something great the moment I heard you coming here a month ago.” Josh breathed in Tyler’s scent, noticing something other in it than just sea water and fresh air. Something unique to Tyler himself only. 

Tyler let go of him. “So, you were sprouting flowers in your heartbreak, then. It sounds very poetic.”

Josh snorted. “I guess it kind of was. I’ve been devoured by practicing ever since. Mother says I will surpass her one day.”

“I believe her.” 

They exchanged a look, before both realized it was dark. 

“You probably need to get back,” Tyler spoke, “you look exhausted.”

Josh thought so, too. He didn’t want to leave. He didn’t want Tyler to be alone. It didn’t feel right.  
So, Josh said. “Come back with me.”

“What?”

“You heard me. Come back with me, please, I don’t want to leave you here.”

Tyler looked shocked. “You’re serious” Josh nodded. “You don’t even know me. I don’t even know if I can leave. I’ve never tried -”  
Josh snorted. “Time to try, then. It’s either that, or I’m going to stay here. I don’t want you to be alone, you -”

He was cut off by a pair of warm lips. Tyler’s hands cradled his face. Josh instantly kissed back, pulling Tyler closer with a sure hand. They kissed for a while, tasting each other profoundly, sharing breath. Then Tyler pulled away, resting his forehead against Josh’s.

“Okay.”

“Okay? You will come back with me?” Josh looked at him, eyes twisting because of the proximity. The boy looked delighted.

He huffed a laugh, Josh felt the vibrations on his hand, that rested on his hip. “I mean, we can stay here, also, but like, my hut is a rancid piece of crap with an old, wornout bed, so if you prefer that.”

Josh chuckled. “I didn’t even know you had a house to live in.”

“It’s hidden for a reason. It’s both ugly and I don’t want people to see it.”

“I think I’m fine with taking you home, really.” Tyler stroked Josh’s face with a light hand.

“Everyone will hate me there, when they realize what I am.”  
“I’ll prove them wrong. You will, too.”

“Fine. Let’s go then.”

The only thing standing in their way, was that they didn’t know yet if Tyler could truly leave. Tyler’s steps were slow with uncertainty, as he and Josh walked of the pier and towards the edge forest. Josh had no idea how far floodwater reached, so he just followed Tyler, who stared at the ground with such determination through every step. Josh could see in the distance, that the callas were wilting, but deep red roses were replacing them.

Then Tyler stopped at the point, where the beach ended and the forest began. “This is where floodwater ends,” he said. “I’ve never gone beyond it.” Josh took his hand, standing next to him. Tyler breathed deeply, chest heaving clearly under his shirt. 

He lifted his bare foot and leaped.

**Author's Note:**

> lmao how sappy was that again i can't write anything too sad
> 
> also, how the fuck did this end up being 15k
> 
> feel free to yell at me (please be careful, i am a small boy)
> 
> edit on jan 7: hey also thank you for your comments and everything - now and beforehand - im prolly not gonna answer them because im an awkward bean but like you make my days better 100% so thanks a lot, keep being cool amazing awesome


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